Modern motor vehicles typically employ various occupant protection systems that self-actuate from an undeployed to a deployed state without the need for intervention by the occupant. Such systems often include an inflatable occupant protection system in the form of a cushion or bag, commonly referred to as an “airbag cushion,” which is now a legal requirement for many new vehicles. Such airbag cushions are typically installed in various locations in a vehicle and may deploy into one or more locations within the vehicle between the occupant and certain parts of the vehicle interior, such as the doors, steering wheel, instrument panel, dashboard or the like, to prevent or cushion the occupant from forcibly striking such parts of the vehicle interior.
The airbag cushion is conventionally housed in an uninflated and folded condition to minimize space requirements. In the event of an accident, an accelerometer within the vehicle measures the abnormal deceleration and triggers the expulsion of rapidly expanding gases supplied or produced by a device commonly referred to as an “inflator.” The expanding gases fill the airbags, which immediately inflate in front of the driver and/or passenger to provide protection from impact against a windshield, dashboard, or other surfaces of the vehicle interior.
Referring to FIG. 1, an example of a typical airbag cushion assembly 100 is shown. As illustrated, the inflator 102 is typically coupled with an airbag cushion 104 in such a manner as to enable the expanding gases to enter the airbag cushion 104 during deployment. In order to attach the inflator 102 to an armature 106 of a steering wheel 108, the inflator 102 conventionally includes a flange member 110. The flange member 110 of the inflator 102 typically includes about four (4) holes in the flange member 110 that attach to a studded retainer ring 112, as shown. Alternately, the flange member 110 includes about four (4) studs (not shown) for attaching the inflator 102 to an airbag module. The inflator, together with the retainer ring 112 and the airbag cushion 104 can then be attached to a housing 114, and the housing 114 can be coupled to the steering wheel armature 106. Often, the housing 114 includes a lid member 116 which can be secured about the housing 114 once the airbag cushion 104 is folded within the housing 114, or the lid member 116 can be integral with the housing 114.
The plurality of components used for conventional assemblies can require substantial space in a typically small area of, for example, the center portion of the steering wheel. Therefore, it may be desirable to provide assemblies that use fewer components and can reduce the space requirements of an airbag cushion assembly.